Chapter 65 Chapter 63

Lieutenant Collet stood alone in front of Ray Teabing's driveway, looking up at the mansion.remote.dark.A solid castle.Collet's men spread out along the fence.They arrive at the designated location within minutes to fence the house.The place Langdon had chosen was ideal, perfect for a surprise attack by Collet. Collet was about to call Fache when the phone rang. To Collet's surprise, Fache is not happy with how the case is going. "With Langdon's lead, why didn't anyone tell me?" "You were on the phone, and..." "Lieutenant Collet, where the hell are you?".

Collet reported his location. "This house belongs to an Englishman named Teabing. Langdon has driven a long time to get here. The car is now inside the security gate and there is no sign of forced entry, so Langdon probably knows the owner of the house .” Fache said, "I'll be right over. Don't act yet. I'll take command myself." Collet was taken aback. "But Captain, you won't be here in twenty minutes! We must act immediately. I have him under surveillance. I have eight men in all. Four have rifles, and four have pistols." "wait for me."

"But Captain, what if Langdon takes hostages inside? What if he spots us and escapes? We should act now! My men are in position and ready to act." "Lieutenant Collet, you must wait for me to arrive at the scene. Until then, no action is allowed. This is an order!" Fache hung up. Collet was dumbfounded, and turned off the phone helplessly.He's fucking, why did Fache make me wait for him?Collet knew that, for all his talent, Fache was also notorious for his arrogance.Fache wants to improve his reputation by arresting Langdon.He issued a wanted warrant on TV and wanted to show his face on TV.All Collet has to do is hold the fort and wait for the boss to come and save the world.

As he stood there, a second explanation for Fache's delay flashed through his mind.damage control.In law enforcement, delaying the apprehension of a fugitive only occurs when there is uncertainty about the crime of the suspect.Is Fache reconsidering whether Langdon is the murderer? The thought is terrifying.It would be embarrassing for Captain Fache not to arrest Robert Langdon tonight, because he had already notified police surveillance, Interpol, and sent out a wanted warrant on television.No matter how great Bezu Fache is, he cannot afford dire political consequences if he mistakenly puts the head of an American socialite on French television and says he is a murderer.If Fache realized his mistake now, it would make perfect sense for him to stop Collet.Fache didn't want to see Collet storm into the private home of an innocent British citizen and point Langdon at gunpoint.

Collet also realizes that if Langdon is innocent, it clarifies one of the most paradoxical facts about the case: why Sophie Neveu—the victim's granddaughter—helped the alleged killer escape.Unless Sophie knew Langdon was wronged.Fache offers various explanations for her actions: As Jacques, the sole heir to Saunière, Sophie instigated her secret lover, Robert Langdon, to kill Jacques Saunière in order to obtain the inheritance.If Jacques Saunière had suspected this earlier, he would have left a message for the police: P. S． : Go find Robert Langdon.But Collet always felt that there was something else wrong with this matter.Sophie seemed very pure, so she shouldn't be involved in such a dirty deal.

"Lieutenant!" A policeman ran up. "We found a car." Collet followed the cop about fifty yards down the drive.The cop pointed to the side of the driveway.There was a black Audi parked in the bushes, and you couldn't spot it unless you looked carefully.The car has a rental license plate.Collet touched the hood of the car.It was still hot, even a little hot to the touch. Collet said, "Langdon must have come in this car. Call the rental company and see if it was stolen." "Yes, officer." Another cop waved Collet over the fence.He handed Collet a pair of night-vision binoculars and said, "Look over there, Lieutenant. The woods at the end of the drive."

Collet pointed the binoculars at the hill and adjusted the barrel.Slowly, those green Dongsi came into view.He first found the corner of the driveway, and then looked up slowly along the driveway.Finally, I set my sights on the grove.He was stunned by what he saw.There was an armored car covered with grass.The car turned out to be exactly the same as the one he had released earlier at the Savings Bank in Zurich.He hoped it was just some weird coincidence, but he knew that couldn't be.The cop said, "Langdon and Neveu apparently escaped from the bank in this car." Collet said nothing.He recalled the driver of the armored vehicle he had stopped at the barricade, the Rolex watch, and his eagerness to get away.I didn't even check the cargo hold.

Incredibly, Collet realizes that someone at the bank has lied to the police.Instead of telling Langdon and Sophie where they were hiding, they helped them escape.But who did it? And why? Collet suspected that was the real reason Fache held back from taking action.Perhaps Fache realized that it wasn't just Langdon and Sophie who were involved in this case.If Langdon and Sophie came in this armored car, who drove the Audi? A few hundred miles away in the south of France, a Bizzicraft Baron 58 was flying north at high speed over the Tyrrhenian Sea.Although the plane was flying smoothly, Aringarosa still clutched his airsickness bag tightly, feeling like he was going to throw up at any moment.His phone call with Paris was beyond his expectations.

Aringarosa sat alone in the small cabin, constantly turning the ring on his hand, trying to free himself from the irresistible fear and despair.Everything is screwed up in Paris! Aringarosa closed his eyes and prayed that Fache would be able to turn things around.